TicketsSad day for the UC athletics department yesterday as news spread of the passing of former QB Tom O'Malley at the age of 85.
He's a member of the UC Athletics Hall of Fame for his performance from 1946-49. He led the nation in passing yards in 1949 (1,617) with 16 touchdowns. He was a charter member of the Ring of Honor.
O'Mallley eventually played professionally with the Browns and Packers before winning a Grey Cup with the Ottawa RoughRiders.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations in memory and in honor of Thomas L. O'Malley to the York VNA Hospice Services, 540 S George St., York, PA 17401, 717-846-9900; or the National Children's Cancer Society, One South Memorial Dr., Suite 800, St. Louis, MO 63102, 314-241-1600 or online at www.thenccs.org/
Bill Koch posted this story with photos and quotes from former teammates.
The QB held a special place in the development of the UC football tradition and will be missed.
Let's eat...
--- Andrea Adelson perused the Big East football preview guide which was released yesterday and came up with a few football nuggets to warm your belly. Among those are the start dates for football camps. UC reports on Aug. 7 and holds its first practice on Aug. 8.
That's 54 days away. But who's counting?
The Big East went with a QB collage on the cover and Zach Collaros holding the front position.
Among the most interesting statistics the preview talks about in the opening notebook section is that the Big East ranks second among BCS conferences in non-conference play over the past five years. (168-63, .723)
Those numbers might surprise considering the ugly publicity the conference received for the non-con busts of last season, but over a wider span, the conference has more than held its own outside its own fences.
Adelson even took a look at the non-con schedule for next year and the most important games that will go a long way in making folks forget about the 2010 failures. Nobody can claim the conference shies away from prominent early-season matchups.
The Bearcats will be one of the teams taking on the big, bad SEC. WVU hosts LSU while UC travels to Tennessee.
Quick did you know aside: The Big East holds a winning record against the SEC over the past six years (10-8). Now, those wins aren't exactly breaking up the string of five-consecutive national championships, but hold your own against that caliber of conference means something.
Even further, consider this: The Big East owns a winning record in non-con regular season games against the SEC in the entire BCS era (20-15). Only the Pac-10 also holds a plus-.500 distinction (12-9).
Actually, the Big Ten is the conference which gives the Big East fits. It hasn't managed a winning record against the Leaders and Legends since 2004. They are 6-14 in that span.
Want more conference vs conference numbers? Click here.
--- Also of note, for the fifth consecutive season the Big East finished with a winning record in bowl season, they were 4-2 last year. The conference takes heat for its lack of success in BCS games, but as a whole has traditionally fared well in the postseason.
The conference has lost three consecutive BCS games (UC 2x, UConn last year), but prior to that won three in a row. Of course, in college football, three years feels like three decades, but to claim the Big East can't compete at the highest level in the BCS era would be the assumption of those with incredibly short attention spans.
In fact, last season was the worst performance by far for the Big East during the BCS era. The 3-12 mark against BCS schools was only rivaled by the 2005 season where the conference went 5-14. Of course, it bounced back the next season to go 14-7.
--- Hunter Tickel at the News Record takes a look at what to expect from UC Athletics next season. Call it a Cliff's Notes version of the UC Sports Book for those of you who have been skipping the Bearcats Breakfast for the past two semesters. By the way, for those of you who have been skipping...I'm not mad, just disappointed.
--- Some randomness....
--- I had the $6.6 billion, then I went downstairs to check the laundry, I stopped for a snack.... what did I do with that money?
--- It doesn't matter if you think you are right, don't challenge Wright Thompson. If you do, it better be about a serious topic and you better have some serious evidence to support your hypothesis. The guy is the greatest sports storyteller in the business right now. Pieces like this are why Deadspin has fallen off the map of relevancy.
--- Encouraging news from the Clarence Clemons camp.
--- Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. It doesn't matter if you like hockey or not. Even if you haven't seen a game all year, this is must-see TV. Few events in sports compete with it.
--- The Reds never quite rolled the string of concerts I was hoping they would this season. (Although, Paul McCartney at GABP will be a showcase). Personally, I'd have been happy for Huey Lewis and the News like they had in Pittsburgh over the weekend.
Would it be awkward if I asked Huey to play Power of Love four times? Should I maybe pose the question to The News first, then let them approach Huey?
--- Ever thought about how absurd your social media life can be when applied to real life? This guy has. Results are creepy, ironic and chuckle-worthy. (H/t Hot Clicks)
He's a member of the UC Athletics Hall of Fame for his performance from 1946-49. He led the nation in passing yards in 1949 (1,617) with 16 touchdowns. He was a charter member of the Ring of Honor.
O'Mallley eventually played professionally with the Browns and Packers before winning a Grey Cup with the Ottawa RoughRiders.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations in memory and in honor of Thomas L. O'Malley to the York VNA Hospice Services, 540 S George St., York, PA 17401, 717-846-9900; or the National Children's Cancer Society, One South Memorial Dr., Suite 800, St. Louis, MO 63102, 314-241-1600 or online at www.thenccs.org/
Bill Koch posted this story with photos and quotes from former teammates.
The QB held a special place in the development of the UC football tradition and will be missed.
Let's eat...
--- Andrea Adelson perused the Big East football preview guide which was released yesterday and came up with a few football nuggets to warm your belly. Among those are the start dates for football camps. UC reports on Aug. 7 and holds its first practice on Aug. 8.
That's 54 days away. But who's counting?
The Big East went with a QB collage on the cover and Zach Collaros holding the front position.
Among the most interesting statistics the preview talks about in the opening notebook section is that the Big East ranks second among BCS conferences in non-conference play over the past five years. (168-63, .723)
Those numbers might surprise considering the ugly publicity the conference received for the non-con busts of last season, but over a wider span, the conference has more than held its own outside its own fences.
Adelson even took a look at the non-con schedule for next year and the most important games that will go a long way in making folks forget about the 2010 failures. Nobody can claim the conference shies away from prominent early-season matchups.
The Bearcats will be one of the teams taking on the big, bad SEC. WVU hosts LSU while UC travels to Tennessee.
Quick did you know aside: The Big East holds a winning record against the SEC over the past six years (10-8). Now, those wins aren't exactly breaking up the string of five-consecutive national championships, but hold your own against that caliber of conference means something.
Even further, consider this: The Big East owns a winning record in non-con regular season games against the SEC in the entire BCS era (20-15). Only the Pac-10 also holds a plus-.500 distinction (12-9).
Actually, the Big Ten is the conference which gives the Big East fits. It hasn't managed a winning record against the Leaders and Legends since 2004. They are 6-14 in that span.
Want more conference vs conference numbers? Click here.
--- Also of note, for the fifth consecutive season the Big East finished with a winning record in bowl season, they were 4-2 last year. The conference takes heat for its lack of success in BCS games, but as a whole has traditionally fared well in the postseason.
The conference has lost three consecutive BCS games (UC 2x, UConn last year), but prior to that won three in a row. Of course, in college football, three years feels like three decades, but to claim the Big East can't compete at the highest level in the BCS era would be the assumption of those with incredibly short attention spans.
In fact, last season was the worst performance by far for the Big East during the BCS era. The 3-12 mark against BCS schools was only rivaled by the 2005 season where the conference went 5-14. Of course, it bounced back the next season to go 14-7.
--- Hunter Tickel at the News Record takes a look at what to expect from UC Athletics next season. Call it a Cliff's Notes version of the UC Sports Book for those of you who have been skipping the Bearcats Breakfast for the past two semesters. By the way, for those of you who have been skipping...I'm not mad, just disappointed.
--- Some randomness....
--- I had the $6.6 billion, then I went downstairs to check the laundry, I stopped for a snack.... what did I do with that money?
--- It doesn't matter if you think you are right, don't challenge Wright Thompson. If you do, it better be about a serious topic and you better have some serious evidence to support your hypothesis. The guy is the greatest sports storyteller in the business right now. Pieces like this are why Deadspin has fallen off the map of relevancy.
--- Encouraging news from the Clarence Clemons camp.
--- Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. It doesn't matter if you like hockey or not. Even if you haven't seen a game all year, this is must-see TV. Few events in sports compete with it.
--- The Reds never quite rolled the string of concerts I was hoping they would this season. (Although, Paul McCartney at GABP will be a showcase). Personally, I'd have been happy for Huey Lewis and the News like they had in Pittsburgh over the weekend.
Would it be awkward if I asked Huey to play Power of Love four times? Should I maybe pose the question to The News first, then let them approach Huey?
--- Ever thought about how absurd your social media life can be when applied to real life? This guy has. Results are creepy, ironic and chuckle-worthy. (H/t Hot Clicks)